Real Name: Hans Sterkendries - I was born in 1976 and grew up in a small village in Belgium.
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I got my first camera at the age of 12 but it wasn't until my studies that I really got hooked. I bought myself a Canon 500N in 1997 and went digital a few years later with the Canon Digital Rebel (300D). Nowadays, I use a Canon 5D, usually with a Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens. ************************************
At age 14 I started working as a journalist for different (local) newspapers. What started as a hobby is now a profession: I'm still working as a journalist, mainly as a travel writer because it allows me to combine my job with my passion for travel. I borrowed my life's motto from Mark Twain: "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness". Belgium is still my base camp but a lot of the time I'm on the road. Right now I have pictures from 63 different countries online, not counting Disneyland ;-). ************************************ A few years ago I wanted to share some pictures with friends of mine. I somehow discovered Panoramio and immediately liked the idea of being able to geolocate my pictures. My goal on Panoramio is not to promote myself as a photographer: most pictures are uploaded for the pleasure of sharing them, the pleasure of showing the world. My goal is not to have all my pictures on Google Earth either. I upload all different aspects of travel: people, food, animals... ************************************
My photo titles usually simply state where they are shot and not necessarily what they show. Whenever possible I use the official language of the country. My tags are in English, Dutch and in the official language(s) of the country/region. I apologise if exception are made. My mother tongue is Dutch but I also speak French, English, Spanish and bit of German, Italian and Russian. I try to express myself in my correspondent's language but when I'm in a hurry I usually choose English as a lingua franca. Xenophobic, racist or otherwise offensive comments will be removed and reported to the team. ************************************
With all the travelling going on I have little time for hobbies. This website takes up a good deal of my spare time, I love to read and watch tv series and I'm a scuba diver. You can also find me on a few online networks but this is my major web presence. ************************************ If you have a decent computer processor, hit this link to see my whole gallery: http://cestavoir.free.fr/viewer2.html?68287.